Academics

Getting Started

This Academic Planning Guide is designed to help you choose courses and prepare you for your first year at Wheaton College.

Coming to Wheaton College will be exciting and rewarding, but it will also present new responsibilities and challenges. Approach it with an open mind and in a spirit of discovery and fun! Not only will you learn about your academic subjects, you will also learn about yourself.

As you get ready for your Wheaton College experience, keep three themes in mind: Organization, Perseverance, Support (O.P.S.)

Organization

Success in college requires organization. You will need to use your time well in order to get the most out of your Wheaton College experience. Good organization will make your college experience richer, more rewarding, and more fun!

It is essential that you have a good calendar/planner. Plan to schedule of all your classes, study time, homework time, activities, and your free time. This planning is key to learning how to balance your commitments early in your first semester at Wheaton. For example, because you’re not in classes all day, at first you may feel you have a lot of free time; however, you will have to do 2-3 hours of homework and studying outside of class for each hour you spend in the classroom. Along with your activities, sports, free time, part-time work, clubs, etc., you will find that you need to plan your time carefully.

You can use a paper planner/calendar, the Google calendar associated with your Wheaton College email, iCal, or other kinds of technologies to help you; however, no matter which kind of organizational system you choose, use it consistently. Be sure to consult the Wheaton College calendar for important academic deadlines and to keep up with all the great events on campus. From the main calendar page you can easily subscribe to the Wheaton calendar or add it to your Google calendar. Good organization and planning will help you address challenges you experience and assist you in building academic momentum.

Perseverance

You will experience difficulties and challenges in college that require hard work, patience, and consistent effort to resolve. Perseverance necessitates being realistic about challenges and difficulties, which will happen both inside and outside your classes. Perseverance means taking responsibility for your education, your choices, and how you manage your time. Perseverance also requires being flexible, which is essential to your intellectual growth. You will need to adapt and adjust to new expectations and requirements and be willing to try something new. Plan to address any concerns you experience as they arise, and use the many support options available to you at Wheaton College to help you do this.

Support

Each student needs support throughout all four years of college. Support comes in many forms, and you will need different kinds of support at each stage of your college career. Support will always include your professors and faculty advisors.

During your first year, plan to use several forms of support. Foremost, be a good advisee; actively seek the help and guidance of your FYS faculty advisor, your professors, Academic Deans, and the Administrative Mentor for your FYS, if applicable. Seek help from Wheaton's tutors and from peer mentors available in departments and programs. Talk to your Preceptors and Resident Advisors. Finally, seek the assistance of the many faculty and staff on campus who can help you think through problems and guide you to new opportunities.

Finally, as you prepare for your first semester, be passionate! Seek the excitement of intellectual discovery and adventure. Be passionate about your pursuits inside and outside of the classroom. A wealth of intellectual and creative opportunity awaits you at Wheaton!